Romlus and Maverick: The Amulet
by Forgetful Demon
Summary: Romlus, an orc and former Mercenary warrior turned farmer, lives a peaceful life with his wife. When he refuses to help Marcus, an old acquaintance and bandit leader, find a mysterious amulet, Marcus kidnaps his wife and threatens her demise unless he retrieves the amulet and brings it to him. Romlus enlists the help of his former best friend Maverick to aid in his quest.


Romlus searched the house in a panic, yelling her name over and over.

"ALISSA! ALISSA!"

He knew something was going to happen after he had refused to help Marcus, an old friend and nord turned vampire bandit. Romlus and Marcus were part of a band of mercenaries many years ago, but Romlus quit the group because he had wanted to live an honest life. Marcus had visited Romlus the night before and asked for his assistance in finding an amulet. However, Romlus refused and Marcus left, angrily, not speaking a word. Then when Romlus woke the next morning, his wife, Alissa, was gone.

Romlus' orc rage flowed through him and he began punching the wall over and over in a blind rage. He calmed down and caught his breathe, then he saw a note on the floor, it read:

"I have your dearly beloved. Find the amulet I spoke of and bring it back to me. You have a month. I will be awaiting your arrival back at your home, when the time comes, if you do not return with the amulet, well, let's just say your wife will suffer the consequences. Your good old friend, Marcus Thoris"

Marcus had told Romlus that the amulet was in the possession of a dark elf named Verinius. His last know location was somewhere in Solitude.

He headed down into his cellar. In a chest there was his old steal armor, battleaxe and a bow. He put his armour on. As he did, all the memories of his fighting days came back to him. He thought of Maverick, a Khajit and former member of the mercenary group and his best friend of whom he had not seen in ten years. He thought if anyone could help him on his quest it would be him, but how would he find him?

He left his house, which was a farm on the outskirts of Whiterun. He remembered that Maverick was always fond of stealing ale from a stall owner and drinking it just outside the gates of the city. He thought it was probably unlikely he still did this, however he had purchased a house in Whiterun a long time ago, but would he still be there? He never liked to stay in one place. It was more of a safe house where he stored all his weapons and he may still use it. Romlus reached the gates, with the hope that he would see his old friend again.

When Romlus arrived in Whiterun he headed for the safe house. At exactly the same moment he knocked on the door, a Redguard woman flung open the door. She was clutching a large bag to which she threw past Romlus. It crashed on the ground in a heap. Half of it's contents had spilled out on to the wet dirt. Romlus studied them with his eyes for a moment or two. From what he could make out, it was travel gear.

"Yes?" the redguard asked grumpily and impolite.

"Hello, I was wondering if Maverick Horwick still resides in this house."

"Unfortunately yes. And you are?" she asked staring at him as if he was unwelcome in her presence. She was an elderly woman, but her eyes were fierce enough to make even a hardened former warrior like Romlus feel uneasy.

"An old friend, may I speak with him?"

She sniggered "You can try. He's in the Bannered Mare, as usual, drowning his sorrows. When you see him, tell him I'm sick of his laziness and if this carries on, he can cook and clean for himself!"

"Thank-" she slammed the door in Romlus's face before he could finish.

As he walked to the Bannered Mare, he thought, _this was no surprise, Maverick had always been fond of ale. _He entered the inn and scanned the room. To his delight Maverick was sat at the bar.

"I said another drink!" Maverick yelled at the barkeep.

"You're out of coin you fool. It's the same thing every night, you run out of gold and then you want free ale. I am getting tired of it!" snapped back the barkeep.

"Y-yes, w-well, I'm a regular and haven't quite had enough, so get me a drink before I slice open your throat!"

Romlus approached Maverick.

"Maverick?"

Maverick turned wearily to look at Romlus. "What!?...wait...Romlus? Is that you?" he said confused.

"Yes, my friend, it's me." smiled Romlus.

"Friend? I am not your friend! What kind of friends don't speak to each other for ten years! You betraying bastard, you left me alone to feed your selfishness!" he blurted out of nowhere.

"What are you talking about you mad man!?" Romlus said raising his voice.

He approached Romlus clumsily. After he had swayed drunkly from side to side a few times, he finally came nose to nose with Romlus.

"You left so you could find 'peace'." he said mockingly. "And promised that we would stay friends and then when I needed a friend you were nowhere to be found!"

Romlus could smell the stench of ale on his breath. "I'm sorry Maverick, I never meant-"

"What are you even doing here?" Maverick cut him off. "Shouldn't you be tending to your chickens farmer? hahahaha" he laughed, as he turned his back, returning to the bar.

"I need your help. Marcus took my wife."

"Ha my help?" Maverick said, his voice now almost reduced to a deep whisper. "Why should I help you?" He turned to face the barkeep and slammed his fist down "Drink!"

Romlus decided he'd heard enough of this nonsense. "What has happened to you? The Maverick I know could handle his own affairs. He didn't need help. I don't know who this whiny little whelp who lies before me is, but it is not Maverick Horwick..." he made a heavy sigh and shook his head. He had caught Mavericks attention, who was now on his feet glaring at him. "...what a pathetic worthless mutt you have become." Romlus looked down and saw that Maverick was clutching a dagger. He slowly approached once more, his feet steady this time, his eyes completely focused on Romlus.

The entire population of the Bannered Mare, now spectators, watched on, intrigued, as Romlus continued his onslaught confidently, without worry. "You blame me for whatever it is you claim to have suffered...but we both know you're really just a witless coward."

Maverick lunged at him with the dagger, he dodged and Maverick tumbled to the ground, but he stood immediately and launched another attack. Romlus evaded it once again, this time managing to restrain mavericks dagger arm.

"Maverick calm down!" he yelled. Maverick struggled grunting angrily. Romlus sighed agonisingly. Maverick wasn't going to give in.

"Sorry, old friend." he slammed his head onto a table in front of them. Maverick fell to the floor unconscious.

A guard came bursting through the door having heard the commotion.

"You!" he pointed furiously at Romlus. "Get him out of here before I throw you both in a cell for disturbing the peace!"

Romlus picked up Maverick and left the inn. He made his way back to the safe house and knocked once again. The redguard opened to the door carrying the same facial expression as their previous meeting.

"Oh for goodness sake!" she said. "Bring him in" she sighed.

The housecarl lead him upstairs to a bedroom and Romlus put him on the bed.

"So what did he do this time?"

"Tried to kill me." grinned Romlus.

"Well there's some sheets in those draws you'll have to sleep on the floor tonight...goodnight." without uttering another word, she left.

Romlus sat on a chair next to the bed thinking on the nights events and everything Maverick had said. He knew deep down he'd abandoned his friend. _How could I have been so selfish. _He cursed to himself in anger at his ignorance. Maverick was right. He was, in a way, partly to blame for Maverick's current condition. _Having said that, _he thought,_ how could Maverick think he had intentionally ruined his life?_ He looked at Maverick.

"Forgive me, my friend."

The next morning Romlus woke and headed downstairs. The redguard was cooking. Maverick was still asleep. Romlus sat by the fire.

"Good morning." he said.

"Is it?" the old redguard replied, in the same grumpy tone as the night before. A she saw the defeated look on his face her expression lightened. "I apologise for my manner."

Romlus' face filled with shock.

"I wasn't always a moody old woman. That useless khajit upstairs has made me age in the last six years. I don't know why I stay. He doesn't pay me enough to put up with his antics. If it wasn't for my grandchildren I have to provide for at home I would have left the fool in his self pity a long time ago. What was your name. I don't think I caught it"

"Romlus miss. Thank you for your hospitality it's much appreciated."

"Well I guess you're welcome, seen as I had help with the drunken fool for once. I don't know how he ended up this way. I mean he was always an idiot, but never a depressed one. My name is tilda by the way."

"Well it's a pleasure. It's my fault he's this way." Said Romlus sighing. "I should have been a better friend."

"Don't let him push the blame on to your shoulders. That's what he's good at. If you ask me he has no excuse for what he does every night."

Maverick appeared looking dazed.

"Here's the fool now." said Tilda.

Romlus turned to look at Maverick who grabbed a pan of soup Tilda had made, poured it into a bowl and sat down. Not even looking at Romlus. There was silence until he finally spoke.

"So Romlus, how has life been treating you?" Romlus said nothing looking bemused. "Well, are you going to say something? Or are you just going to sit there there looking stupid?" He carried on eating his soup ignorant of the previous nights events.

"What? How dare you just sit there and act like nothing happened. You tried to kill me!"

"Well, I don't remember that part."

"Doesn't mean it didn't happen." Romlus sat down Mavericks table.

"Look Maverick I'm sorry Ii wasn't there for you when you needed me. I truly am, but please I need your help. Marcus took my wife. He wants me to find some amulet in Solitude or he's going to kill her. If you help me I swear I'll make it worth your while. Then you can drink to your hearts content."

"How much gold?"

"I don't have much, but I do have something of value."

"And what would that be?"

"I have a rare ruby Alissa gave to me as a wedding gift. Worth thousands. You help, it's yours."

Maverick thought for a second and said "And how do I know you're not lying?"

"You don't...but I'm not. For old times sake trust me?"

Maverick looked at him for a few moments. "Okay, very well, I'll help you find your amulet."

Romlus was surprised, given what had transpired the night before, that Maverick had agreed to help so easily. _Maybe all that ale has fried his brain. _He joked to himself.

Later they left the house walking to the stalls where they found food and other provisions. They bought two horses and set off to Solitude. They didn't speak for a few hours. The horses hooves squelched intothe moist ground. There had been a thunderstorm overnight. They past Khajit traders offering them goods which they refused and road on. Maverick shook his head.

"I'm glad I'm not one of them. Begging for gold in the middle of nowhere like scroungers. I'd rather be a warrior a lot more fun if you ask me." He sniggered.

Romlus laughed. "I see your appetite for violence hasn't eroded. That was evident last night. I dare say we may need it."

"Ha yes well I was born that way I guess. And I'm sorry for that, I would never try to kill you when I'm sober I promise you that. Not that I'm not still angry with you"

Romlus laughed. "Fair enough. I think for my own good health, I'm not letting you near ale."

"Wise choice."

Mavericks parents had been traders, but they were robbed and killed when he was just a baby. A couple of nord hunters found him and raised him as there own. They taught him how to hunt, from a very young age, he knew how to take life.

"Well, you'd better be careful out here. Your fighting skills being rusty and all that." Joked Maverick.

"Ha, killings not something you forget easily my friend."

"True enough, but still it's been a long time I'm guessing."

Romlus said nothing and they carried on moving. A storm was beginning to hover over them now and in the sound of the rain, wolves could be heard howling in the distance.

By nightfall the storm still raged on. They wrestled their tents out of their bags and saw that they were already soaked too much to used. They instead threw them over the branches of a tree and used them as them as a shelter. Maverick retrieved some meat from this satchel.

"Well, who's up for wolf?"


End file.
